US becomes first country to surpass 1 million coronavirus cases

The US became the first country to surpass 1 million reported coronavirus cases Tuesday, just three months after the first case was detected stateside, the latest data shows.

The grim tally stateside accounted for nearly one-third of the 3 million cases that have been recorded across the globe, according to a real-time tracker from John Hopkins University.

More than 57,000 Americans have been killed by the virus throughout the country, which leads the world with the highest reported death toll from the pandemic, according to the latest figures.

Meanwhile, more than 112,000 Americans who have recovered from the respiratory disease, the data shows.

The US was trailed Tuesday by Spain, which has around 232,00 cases, and Italy, which has seen about 201,000 infections, the data shows. China, where the outbreak began, has reported 83,938 cases.

Dr. Deborah Birx, a member of the White House task force, has predicted that the number of cases will continue to climb as testing capacities expands to include less severe cases.

“As we expand testing more and more into the greater community with much less symptoms, we’ll see cases,” Birx said Saturday on Fox News’ “Watters World.”

She added that the new cases will likely include ones that are “currently circulating in the community, but maybe in that more asymptomatic or very mild state.”